


Waiting at the Edge

by gunslingaaahhh



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-22
Updated: 2011-05-22
Packaged: 2017-10-24 23:29:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/269107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gunslingaaahhh/pseuds/gunslingaaahhh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It took a while, but Steve is finally back where he belongs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Waiting at the Edge

**Author's Note:**

> The last of the 1x24/Finale coda fics. This follows Robot Boy and War Games, though you don't have to have read those to read this.

It had been a grand total of six months – there was math written down somewhere that tallied up the weeks, days, hours, minutes, seconds – before the case had been reviewed. Six whole months that Steve had been in jail and almost as long as he’d been in solitary.

They’d pushed everything through multiple times, but something would always happen that would push it right back, and each time that happened Danny tore a little more of his hair out. Kono had been cleared of all charges – which was an honest-to-God Christmas fucking _miracle_ – and Danny had been lulled into complacency, sort of. His brain had made the connection that if they could get Kono out and ok, then it’d be a piece of cake to do the same for Steve.

After all, Danny had told him it was a sure thing. And it had been, until someone in some office somewhere stonewalled them again.

He’d lost count of how many times he’d walk out of his office to see Jenna and Kono in frustrated tears, flipping through folders and boxes of paperwork and evidence. Jenna would be grumbling to herself about people in suits, Kono would be angrily blowing her hair out of her face. Danny knew better than to approach either of them when that happened, so he would usually just retreat back into his office and slam his fists on his desk a few times.

It was good that the girls couldn’t really see him when he was in his office anyway, because the image of him being so near to tears himself probably wouldn’t have helped them any.

~*~

All of them had wanted to pick Steve up, and while Danny could completely understand, none of them owned a vehicle that could comfortably fit all of them and Steve. As it was, the choice was taken from them.

“You’re shitting me with this, right?” Danny asked, fingers twitching in and out of fists at his sides. “This is some kind of, I dunno, sick joke?”

“No joke, brah. I know you’d wanted to do it, but it might be better this way.”

“I’m waiting for the part where you explain how that’s the case.”

There is silence on the other end of the line; Chin had called while Danny, Kono, and Jenna were milling about at Kono’s apartment. Today was the day, they’d been waiting to find out what time and the protocol and all of that, when Chin dropped the bomb.

“Don’t shoot the messenger, ok? And hey, it isn’t like you can’t help – I was thinking maybe you guys could go by his house, maybe, I dunno, get it ready or something.”

“Chin Ho Kelly, you are a brilliant, beautiful man,” Danny called, phone still on speaker so they could all hear Chin laughing.

“That’s what they tell me; I’m gonna go and get the ball rolling. I’m sure it’s still gonna be a little bit before we’re actually on our way over…”

“What is it, ‘cuz?” Kono called, her voice tinged slightly with worry.

“I’m just wondering if it’s a good idea for you all to still be there when we arrive… I have no idea what kind of a mood he’s gonna be in when we get into the car. I don’t want to overwhelm him or anything, you know?”

“Yeah, yeah… assess, call us, we’ll go from there,” Danny said, rubbing circles into his temples with his fingertips. “For now, let us go see what we need to do.”

“Sounds good,” and there is a clicking as the call is disconnected. They others look at each other for a minute before running out to their respective vehicles.

~*~

The girls have been inside for about twenty minutes before Kono pokes her head out the front door, frowning with confusion. Danny seemed to have gotten stuck just outside the front door.

“Care to join us, detective?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry.” Danny walks in, steps carefully measured. He hasn’t been inside Steve’s house since before everything happened, since that night he’d brought the beer and Steve almost broke his arm, again. It smells musty and unused and it makes him a little sick.

“The dust in here is out of control, so I was thinking between the two of us, Jenna and I can kind of dust and stuff down here, if you wanna maybe take the upstairs?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“We might want to do a little grocery shopping,” Jenna says, appearing in the living room. “I just opened the fridge and whatever was left in there was thrown out; it’s basically empty.”

Danny sighs heavily and pinches at the bridge of his nose, thinking. They all know how to work efficiently, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to straighten the place up and air it out before Chin gets back with Steve.

“Alright, you guys take down here, I’ll see what’s going on upstairs, then we’ll assess the food situation and maybe one of us can go do that.” It feels weird to give orders, even though Kono and Jenna do what he tells them without incident.

He calls a “thank you” over his shoulder as he goes upstairs, treading slowly. It’s musty up there, too, and it looks like a freeze-frame. Like Steve had had every intention of coming right back after he did… whatever it is he thought he should do. It makes Danny a little angry, but he squashes it as he goes about opening the windows and stripping the sheets off the bed. He doesn’t know how often Steve changes them, but he knows he’d certainly appreciate a freshly made bed after going so long without one, so he makes short work of replacing the sheets and pillowcases. He doesn’t pull the comforter all the way up, though, folding it back to reveal the clean sheets instead.

Nodding to himself with approval, he tackles the bathroom, wrinkling his nose at the dust that’s collected in there, too.

 _Maybe if I wasn’t such a scumbag, I could’ve been doing this for him all along_ , he thinks as he scrubs, polishing the hardware and making the entire bathroom smell pleasantly of cleaning products. There is a fresh feeling of rage welling inside him then, and he scrubs harder than is really necessary, still so angry with himself.

Kono had been shocked, of course she’d been shocked, but she’d wrapped her arms around him anyway and squeezed him tight. He’d cried into her hair, babbling about what a douche bag he was, how sorry he was, and she’d just shushed him, graceful hands running up and down his back. She’d understood, she told him, and while it was hard to digest, she wasn’t going to just dismiss him from her life. The amount of gratitude he’d felt at that moment had been tremendous, as was the feeling he’d had when Chin had just smiled at him slightly, clapping him on the back before pulling him into a bruising hug.

 _Ohana_ , they’d said, _ohana_.

Pleased with the state of Steve’s sleeping and bathing quarters, Danny hauls the vacuum upstairs and does a run-through of the entire floor, trying to eliminate as much of the dust and mustiness as he can. He makes a mental note to pick up some kind of spray for the air, something light to make the place smell good when they go out.

“Danny, you almost done with that? I could really use it down here,” Jenna calls up the stairs, and Danny huffs as he drags the vacuum back downstairs.

“I swear, his father must’ve bought this thing, it weighs a fucking ton.”

“Gets the job done though, doesn’t it?” Kono asks, smiling a little.

“Shut up, let’s investigate the kitchen.”

Jenna turned the space into a showplace, counters and hardware gleaming, table cleared off and shining with polish, everything neat and tidy. Danny opens all the cupboards where Steve would keep food, whistling at the lack of… well, anything. The fridge is equally barren.

“Was he just not eating?” Kono says, voice muffled because her head is in the fridge.

“Jenna did say she’d tossed whatever was still in there; can you imagine? It’s a miracle the food didn’t explode. Ok, let’s make a list of essentials so one of us can run to the store.”

They put their heads together, Jenna tossing in suggestions here and there, before they end up with a good sized list. Then it’s time to decide who goes, and Danny almost sighs with relief when Kono volunteers. She’s on her way out the door when Jenna asks if he wants her to stay.

“Nah, go with, give her a hand if she needs it.”

Jenna ducks out, too, and Danny leans back in his chair, stretching his arms high over his head, grunting appreciatively at the pops and cracks of his spine. Leaning forward again, he folds his arms on the table and pillows his head against them, sighing heavily.

He hadn’t been able to see Steve practically at all towards the end; things had come up and he’d had to go to court to testify to one thing or another, run over to some office on the ass end of town to dispute evidence, harangue the lab… he’d felt terrible about it, but by the time he’d gotten back to his apartment he’d been so exhausted he could barely stand.

Part of him was hoping that when Chin called, it would be to tell them to clear out. It was a tiny part, and he felt bad about it, but for some reason he was extremely nervous. Kono had gone to see him and when she came back she’d been so angry she’d had tears in her eyes.

“He looks _awful_ Danny,” she’d told him, furious. “He’s in solitary confinement and he looks fucking awful.”

He’d just given her shoulder a squeeze and told her he knew, he knew.

~*~

“Chin, tell me something good,” Danny said by why of answering when his phone went off. Kono had texted him not even ten minutes before; shopping had been a success, they were on the way back.

“If by good you mean Steven J McGarrett safely buckled into my passenger seat?” and there is a smile on Chin’s face, Danny can hear it. He whoops, can hear the other man chuckling a little. There is a murmur in the background, followed by Chin’s response.

“He says hi.”

“Hi,” Danny replies, frowning at how shy his voice sounds and shaking his head. “Chin?”

The quality of the call changes, and Danny realizes that he’d been on speaker before but wasn’t now.

“How’d you guys do?” Chin asks, tone light. It tells Danny that Steve has no idea the rest of them have been at the house and he’d like to keep it that way for now.

“Pretty well, all things considered; girls are headed back with a few things to put in the fridge and the pantry. For real, not a crumb left in the place. Anyway, it’s clean and fresh and should be a nice treat for when you guys get here.”

“About that…”

“What’s your ETA?” Danny asks tiredly, scrubbing a hand over his face.

“About twenty minutes, give or take – looks like I’m gonna run into a little traffic.”

“Alrighty, we’ll be outta here before then.”

“Hey, sorry brah…” and Danny can hear the unspoken words hanging there, wishes he couldn’t, and wants to tell Chin to not be fucking sorry, it isn’t like it’s his fault.

“No biggie; do me a favor and just, uh, gimme a buzz once he’s inside and y’know…”

“Not a problem.”

The call ends and Danny thumps his forehead on the table a few times before calling Kono. Her enthusiasm fades as quickly as it appears when he tells her they should be gone before Chin gets back with Steve. When she gets back to the house, she and Jenna both have their game faces on and they make short work of putting everything away.

“You got fruit? And… vegetables?” Danny says, eyebrow quirking.

“He likes that stuff, you know that, plus it’ll look nice in a bowl on the table,” Kono says with a grin, arranging things neatly.

“He likes beer, too, didja get any of that?”

“That’s the last thing he needs,” Jenna pipes up, closing the pantry door behind her. “Is that everything?”

Danny nods and ushers them out, quickly going through the house to make sure everything is in order before resetting the alarm and heading to his car.

“See you later in the week?” Kono calls from her car, door open and music already playing.

“Call me,” Danny calls back, waving her off and giving Jenna a return thumbs up. He watches them both go before getting into the Camaro and just sitting there. He knows he should go, Chin wouldn’t have told him that for no reason, but part of him desperately wants to stay, to be the first of them to see Steve.

It’s silly, of course, Chin has already seen him, but it isn’t the same. Everything is completely different and topsy-turvy and Danny really, really hates it. Grumbling to himself, he guns the ignition and takes off, doing his best to resist the urge to turn around.

~*~

“Here we are,” Chin says lightly as he pulls into Steve’s driveway. He kills the ignition and just waits, trying to gauge what Steve’s next move will be. He’d been listless when Chin arrived, going through the motions of hugging and chatting. Once he was buckled in he’d said no more, just gazing out the window. His hair was still quite short, but not completely buzzed now; there were dark circles beneath his eyes, and his skin had taken on a pale pallor, something alien for Steve. Chin found it discomfiting and hoped the other man would take to his swimming and general need to be in the sun as soon as possible.

He also hoped that strange, heartbreaking, awful lost look would go away in short order. Steve had always been sure of himself, since Chin had known him; there didn’t seem to be any of that in this new Steve. The air of confidence and security in his abilities didn’t hang so heavy; everything that really made Steve, well, _Steve_ seemed to be missing, and Chin had to clutch hard at the steering wheel to avoid lashing out. It would’ve been pointless to get mad at Steve, of course, it wasn’t his fault.

Getting out of the car and coming around, Chin opened Steve’s door and stepped aside. Steve got with the program, unbuckling his seat belt and sliding out of the car, accepting his small bag of things when it was offered.

“Do you, uh, do you want me to come in with you, or anything?” he asked, trying not to hover. Steve was just staring at the front of the house, both there and not. He slowly turned towards Chin, a delayed reaction to the question.

“No, thank you.”

Chin nods, following Steve up to the front door and clapping him on the back once before the door was shut. Heaving a sigh, he went back to the car and dialed Danny as soon as he was inside, pulling out of the driveway with one hand and holding his phone with the other.

“What’s up?”

“Hey, he’s inside. I asked if he wanted me to come in with him, but he said no…”

“What’s the matter?” Danny asked, trying to keep his voice calm. He was ready to run out to his car at the slightest inkling, hand already on the doorknob of his front door.

“You mean aside from the obvious? I dunno, I’m sure he needs the time to process – it was like being with a whole other person in the car, it was eerie – but I just don’t think he should be alone.”

“If he needs one of us, he’ll call.”

“One of us? By which you mean you, right?”

“Don’t be so sure.”

“Whatever you say, Danny. Ok, I’m driving, I’ll let you go.”

The call ends and Danny punches his door, grimacing at the dent his fist leaves. It’s still pretty early in the evening, too early for him to just go to bed to waste time. His plan is to just go over to Steve’s the next day, walk in like he always does and… well, he hasn’t really planned that far. Maybe bring some beer and sit with Steve down by the water like they used to.

The memory makes him ache a little and he decides to hop through the shower, his muscles tense with stress.

~*~

Steve just stands in the middle of his living room, turning in a slow circle before prowling the rest of the house. Everything is where he left it, more or less, but it certainly doesn’t look like no one has been there in months. In fact, it looks like a cleaning crew blew through it. He can smell the faint scent of lemon, probably a cleaning product, stronger as he crests the top of the stairs and comes into his bedroom.

He gasps slightly; the bed is made, all crisp sheets and tidiness. The windows are open to let in the fresh air, his en suite bathroom is spotless. Standing in the middle of his bathroom, he can no longer resist the urge and rips off his clothes, throwing them into the trash with a little more force than necessary. They are the same clothes he was taken into custody in, and he never wants to see them again.

The water is warm and comforting, the sound familiar to his ears. He just stands under the spray, letting it wash over him. Glancing to the side, he notices brand new bottles of his favorite shampoo and body wash, as well as a new bath poof. Eyebrows furrowing in confusion, he wonders how a cleaning crew could possibly know what products he likes, and how _anyone_ could know he uses a bath poof. It doesn’t matter, he uses all of them in equal measure, taking his sweet time. By the time he emerges, his fingers and toes are sufficiently pruned and he couldn’t care less.

The kitchen is just as spotless as the rest of the house, and he does a double-take at the carefully arranged produce on the table. The crown jewel is a pineapple, on the cusp of ripeness. There is a little note next to the bowl, folded in half once. Curious, Steve takes it in hand, snatching a piece of fruit with the other and biting into it, chewing thoughtfully.

 _Babe, we couldn’t bear to let you come home to an unkempt house, so we straightened it up a little. We shopped, but got just some essential stuff; anything else is up to you. Everything should be where you usually keep it. XO – D, J & K_

The contents suggested a group effort, but that first word was more than enough to let Steve know who’d been in his house. It isn’t until he brings a hand up to rub at his face that he realizes he’s been crying silent tears. He can’t tell if it’s from laughter or what, just knows that the sudden punch of emotion is more than he’s felt in a long time. The little “xo” at the end makes him smile slightly, and he pads over to the fridge to investigate, gasping with delight at what he finds there.

He’s struck by the urge to open the freezer, and discovers a solitary bag of peppermint patties sitting in the center by itself. He stares at it, mouth hanging open a little before a choked sort of sob wrenches itself from his throat. The door to the freezer is slammed shut before the candy can do anymore damage and Steve takes off out onto the lanai, stripping off his clean clothes as he goes and leaving them like a trail. He’s stark naked when he gets to the shoreline, couldn’t give a rat’s ass, and stumbles his way into the surf, diving under when it’s deep enough.

After a point he loses track of time, finally making his way back to the beach only after it’s dark and he’s positive no one can see him.

~*~

Danny is well on his way to being asleep – he was more exhausted than he’d realized – when his phone goes off. At first he’s confused, blinking owlishly at the bleary light from the TV before he realizes who the ring-tone belongs to.

“Hello?” he says into the phone, voice thick with sleep even as he tries to wake up.

“Danny.”

“Yeah, yeah, hi! What’s—are you ok?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh,” Danny says, extra confused now. It’s definitely Steve, of that there is no doubt. But he sounds… different, far away in a way that has nothing to do with the call quality.

“I saw what you did.”

“Oh yeah? I can’t take all the credit, it was kind of Chin’s idea, but a good one, in my humble opinion.”

“You got me candy.”

“Um… well, yeah, I guess Jenna threw whatever was left of them out, thought they were old or something. Figured I should replenish the supply, you know, I know how much you like them.”

Steve doesn’t say anything then, just breathes quietly into the receiver. Danny checks the time and is baffled by the fact that Steve isn’t passed out.

“Babe, why aren’t you in bed? I changed your sheets and everything.”

“I went for a swim.”

“Yeah? Ok—“

“Took a shower first, then saw the food and the candy and read your note, _then_ went for a swim, and I swam for a long time. It wasn’t dark before, but it is now.”

“… I’m not gonna lie, Steve, you’re freaking me out a little with this,” Danny says, phone caught between his ear and his shoulder as he tugs on a pair of sweat pants.

“Oh.”

“Where are you right now, like what part of the house?”

“Kitchen. In front of the fridge.”

“That’s… oddly specific, thank you. Listen, hang tight for a bit, I’m gonna head over. I knew I should’ve told Chin to shove it, I fucking knew—“

“I’m gonna hang up and wait for you.”

“Oh… ok, buddy, I’ll be there soon—“ Danny begins, but is cut off when the call ends. There is a swell of panic in his belly, because this is just so fucking weird and strange and not his Steve at all and it’s scaring him.

It takes all his will-power to maintain the speed limit, and the car is barely off before he’s leaping from the driver’s seat and sprinting up the stairs. It takes a few tries to get the code right, because his hands won’t stop fucking shaking, but eventually he gets inside.

The house is dark, and Danny has to stop before he trips over something, finding the wall and edging along it until he finds a light switch. Frowning, he moves through the house and turns on more lights, stopping short when he finds Steve in the kitchen, still standing in front of the fridge. He looks completely unbothered, like the obvious place to wait for Danny was where he’d been standing when he called, and Danny wants to cry.

“Hey, bud, what’re you doing?” Danny says softly, hesitantly. Steve hasn’t moved, is just staring at him. There’s something funny about his eyes, but Danny can’t tell until he moves closer.

“Waiting for you. Like I said. Like _you_ said.”

“Aha… I thought maybe you’d sit in the living room, or on the lanai, or something. Not, y’know, keep standing here like a goof.”

“Oh.”

“Alright, let’s move this party to one of those areas, huh? I vote living room, it’s a bit nippy out there.” He grabs at Steve’s wrist, tries to ignore the flinch and tugs the other man towards the living room, gently pushing him down onto the couch.

Once they’re both sitting, Danny takes a moment to really look at Steve, and feels his heart sink a little. Kono hadn’t been kidding, of course, he looks terrible. He’s also bulky, and at first Danny is confused, but he then remembers that one can’t go for long swims or runs in prison, can’t do the sorts of things that make muscle strong and lean as opposed to big and bulky. Steve had still wanted to be active, that much was obvious; but his options had been limited, probably more so than anyone else, because of being in solitary.

Remembering that little factoid forces a harsh realization on Danny, and he understands now why Steve is acting so weird.

“I was thinking you’d be pumped about sleeping in your own bed,” he offers, trying to get Steve talking like a normal person and not a robot. “I know I’d be, after having a little cot or something.”

Steve slowly turns his head to look at Danny, and he can now see what’s so weird about Steve’s eyes: they’re hollow. It’s like a gut punch, because as much of a hard-ass as Steve feigned to be, he was a great person underneath. He had a great personality, he was funny, he was sweet, he was kind. That person seemed to be gone, according to those eyes, and Danny can’t help himself, the tears begin to well up.

“Well, fuck. This is—wow. I was kind of hoping we wouldn’t be doing this until tomorrow, you know? I was gonna come over here in the morning with malasadas and that weird shit you like, so we could have breakfast and talk a little, if you’d wanted. Clearly the talking thing isn’t going to be happening right now, though, or tomorrow for that matter.”

“I don’t like malasadas.”

“What—I know, Steve, I said I was gonna bring that stuff you like, I can’t remember what it’s called, but I know what it is.”

Danny’s voice is cracking, he’s so frustrated because Steve’s voice is devoid of emotion, he isn’t giving anything back. He almost wishes Steve was in the same head-space as the last time Danny had visited, because even anguish would’ve been easier to deal with than this automaton bullshit.

“How come you didn’t come back to see me?” Steve asks then, full attention focused on Danny now. “I waited, but you never came.”

“I—there were court things, lab things, case-related things; I got held up. I’m sorry, I know I was supposed to come back to see you. If I could’ve, I absolutely would have, you know what.”

“Why didn’t you pick me up?”

“I couldn’t, some red-tape bullshit. We were all gonna come to get you… but then Chin called and said he’d tried, but they weren’t going to let us.”

“Oh. Why didn’t you wait here after you cleaned my house?”

Danny has to avert his gaze, can’t really see Steve anyway because his eyes are flooded with tears. He uses the neck of his t-shirt to dab at them and think of a way to answer.

“We weren’t sure what kind of a mood you’d be in, whether it would be a good idea. Thought it might better to give you some time to air your head out a little.”

Steve is silent, looking at him with those empty eyes. Danny wants to punch him, kick him, scream at him or something, anything to elicit a reaction or emotion of some kind.

“You must have changed your mind, then.”

“Did I—huh? Change my—what are you talking about?” Danny’s confusion is writ clearly on his face, he knows it is, and something about that does something to Steve, finally.

It’s like watching a car wreck, or a dam breaking, Danny can’t look away. Steve’s face crumples in slow motion, eyes glazing over, and there is a line of frustration as well as sorrow in his shoulders. He was never good at talking things out to begin with, sitting in solitary confinement for weeks has only managed to make it worse. His jaw works, mouth opening before clamming up again, like he can’t decide if he knows how to say what he wants to say.

“Steve,” Danny begins slowly, reaching out a hand, letting it hover over Steve’s shoulder. He’s unsure for the first time about whether or not he should touch. The other man seems ready to split from his skin, fidgeting and crying and babbling some nonsense Danny can’t even begin to make sense of. He stands, moving to grab at Steve’s shoulders or something, but Steve beats him to the punch, throwing his arms around Danny’s middle and holding on for dear life.

There is an “oof” as Danny gets squeezed, staring down at the top of Steve’s head, baffled. Steve’s sobbing, still talking nonsensically, face buried in Danny’s belly. He can feel the heat of Steve’s tears on his skin.

“Hey now, you’re ok, I’m right here, shh,” Danny murmurs, one hand cupping the back of Steve’s neck while the other strokes soothingly back and forth across his shoulders. Steve shakes his head vehemently ‘no,’ and Danny ceases his movements, firmly gripping Steve’s shoulders and pushing him away enough to get a good look at his face.

“What are you going on about down there, huh? What do you think I changed my mind about?”

“W-what you said, the l-last time,” Steve hiccups, eyes puffy and red-rimmed.

“Last time—when? Do you mean the last time I saw you? Babe, that was a few months go, what’d I say? I know it took longer to get you out, that it was a done deal—“

“ _No_ ,” Steve whines, voice raw and broken. The word drags a little, and Danny can get the sense that if he doesn’t do something about this, Steve is going to be hysterical in short order. His fingers are fisted in Danny’s t-shirt, he can feel them clenching and relaxing around the fabric, fidgety. His eyes are also darting around the room, following the shadows, and really, Danny has had quite enough.

“Steven. I know this is hard for you, ok, but it’s hard for me to and I have no idea what I’m supposed to be doing about this right now. Obviously you’re having some kind of episode, I sort of expected that, but if you want me to help you you’re going to have to fill me in a little better here.”

He watches Steve’s eyes, tries to keep him from breaking eye-contact. It’s hard, though, because those eyes are full of tears, and his bottom lip is quivering a little, and if Danny looks hard enough he can even see panic wrapped around fear like a blanket.

“Did you change your mind about the thing, it was ‘we’ first and then just you.”

Danny frowns, a headache beginning to form because of all these riddles, when he goes rigid. He can vaguely remember their conversation, when he’d bared his soul and Steve had said he could forgive him… and what he’d said before he’d had to go.

Steve takes his silence as a bad sign, he must, because he starts making this keening noise in the back of his throat. He’s gasping a little now, too, on the edge of breaking down and just bawling. Danny gently takes Steve’s face in his hands, tilts his head back so they’re looking each other in the eye.

“Steven,” he begins, bending down to kiss first the corner of one eye, then the other. “Are you referring to the end of our conversation, when I told you that your team loved you? Hmm?” he kisses Steve’s forehead next before leaning back. Steve nods slowly, body tense even as he holds onto Danny for dear life.

“And I will venture a guess to say that you’re also referring to the part where I told you that I, and I alone, also loved you?” this next is finished with a kiss to the tip of Steve’s nose, the other man crossing his eyes to watch. He nods again, bottom lip caught between his teeth and a look of painful need in his eyes.

“Am I correct in assuming that my not being able to visit, not picking you up, and not being here lead you to believe that I’d changed my mind about how I was feeling with regards to you?”

Steve nods a third time, big fat tears rolling down his cheeks, slowed by a thick growth of stubble. His eyelashes are clumped together, far darker than usual, and Danny can’t stop staring at them.

“Well, if that isn’t the stupidest fucking thing I’ve heard today! You’re just—really, Steve? Please tell me you aren’t that much of a goofy fucking idiot.”

There is a wet gasping and Steve buries his face back in Danny’s belly, the fabric wet with tears. He nuzzles in, whimpering, arms wrapped tight around Danny’s lower back again.

“What am I going to do with you,” he mutters, running his fingers through the short regrowth of Steve’s hair. “You’re such an unholy _mess_.”

“S-so you meant it? You didn’t change your mind?” Steve asks, peering up at Danny and cringing a little as his voice breaks.

“I would never, _ever_ change my mind about something like that, ok, do you hear me? Loving someone doesn’t come with an on/off switch for me, alright? If it’s there, it’s there forever, and I told you that I loved you and so yeah, you slob, I love you.”

Steve does this half-laughing, half-sobbing thing and Danny leans down to kiss him for real this time, his own tears mixing with Steve’s. He straightens back up after a moment, pulling Steve with him and hauls them both upstairs to the bed, which he whistles at appreciatively.

He doesn’t undress either of them, just tucks Steve in under the sheets before coming around and tucking himself in, laughing a little when Steve immediately moves over to wrap around him. He nuzzles in just below Danny’s chin, cuddling in close against his chest. Danny wraps an arm around his back and squeezes him, a silent answer to an unasked question.

~*~

He’s asleep, or else he thought he was, until Steve started thrashing against him.

“Hey, babe, shhhhh,” he huffs sleepily, rolling onto his side and wrapping his other arm around Steve’s broad shoulders, pulling him close. He squeezes, Steve’s face pressed against his chest, and feels the twitching subside.

“Danny…”

“I’m right here, I gotcha, go back to sleep.”

“This is why I didn’t wanna go to bed before. I didn’t wanna be by myself. I was by myself for such a long time and I couldn’t even get up and go anywhere to do anything about it or call you or—“

“Alright, alright, it’s over, you’re here with me in a nice, comfy bed. You’re not on a cot in cell, you’re with me, you aren’t alone anymore.”

“… um…”

“Yes, tomorrow, I’ll do it tomorrow.”

“You dunno what I was even gonna—“

“Excuse me? Detective, remember? You’re subtlety has not sharpened, my friend, nor has your tact. You want me to move in with you so you aren’t alone ever again, blah blah blah, am I right?”

Rather than reply, Steve sniffles and burrows closer, clutching at Danny’s t-shirt. He presses a soft kiss to Danny’s throat, sighing into it before settling. Danny drops a kiss to the top of Steve’s head, sighing heavily and feeling his muscles relax for the first time in what feels like forever.

Later, in the light of day, Danny will get a better assessment of the damage that has been done, and come up with a plan of attack for fixing it. For now, though, he is content to just be a comforting presence.

It doesn’t hurt that he finds Steve’s presence comforting, too.  



End file.
